The subsurface is only half of the story of a geothermal energy system. Once we deliver heat to the surface, to produce energy we need to utilize that heat to drive a turbine, which then produces electrons that get delivered to the grid. There are a variety of ways heat is leveraged into electrons currently, including flash steam, dry steam and the binary Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), systems. But there is broad agreement that in order to drive down the cost of geothermal energy production, optimizing and increasing efficiency in both the surface and subsurface systems will be required. So how do the surface systems currently in use in the industry function? How might these systems be improved upon with an eye to driving down cost, and where are areas ripe for innovation? Let’s explore.
This panel features:
- Nicholas Goodman, Chairman and CEO of Cyrq Energy
- Taylor Mattie, Geothermal Innovations Leader at Baker Hughes
- Paolo Bertuzzi, CEO & Managing Director of Turboden S.p.A. - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group
- Joerg Uhde, CEO of Pfalzwerke Geofuture GmbH
- Patrick Walsh, Vice President of Geothermal Resource, Ormat
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